County profile

Otsego County

New York · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
60,108
Median household income
$68,885
People below poverty
12.5%
Median home value
$179,100

Income

The median income of households in Otsego County, New York was $68,885. An estimated 3.5% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.9% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.5
$10,000 to $14,999 3.8
$15,000 to $24,999 8.6
$25,000 to $34,999 7.7
$35,000 to $49,999 11.2
$50,000 to $74,999 19.1
$75,000 to $99,999 14.8
$100,000 to $149,999 16.8
$150,000 to $199,999 7.8
$200,000 or more 6.9

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 57017
Female 52390

An estimated 72% of households received earnings. An estimated 39.8% of households received Social Security and an estimated 32.9 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,595. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 72
Social Security 39.8
Retirement income 32.9
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.6
Cash public assistance income 2.6

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 12.5 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 16.2% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 9.1% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 12.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 12.5
Children under 18 years below poverty 16.2
People 65 years old and over below poverty 9.1
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 12.9

In 2020-2024, 9.9 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 36% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 41.3% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 25.5% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024, 94.8% had health insurance coverage and 5.2% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 69.8% and public coverage was 42.4%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 6.5%.


In 2020-2024, Otsego County, New York had a total population of 60,108 - 30,953 (51.5%) females and 29,155 (48.5%) males. The median age was 39.9 years. An estimated 14.9% of the population was under 18 years, 32.1% was 19 to 44 years, 23.9% was 45 to 64 years, and 21.5 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 1178 1166
5 to 9 1126 1254
10 to 14 1456 1102
15 to 19 2782 3480
20 to 24 3229 4064
25 to 29 1555 1416
30 to 34 1694 1388
35 to 39 1526 1743
40 to 44 1412 1242
45 to 49 1415 1426
50 to 54 1667 1647
55 to 59 1939 1987
60 to 64 2159 2144
65 to 69 1989 2123
70 to 74 1696 1792
75 to 79 1073 1451
80 to 84 703 690
85 and over 556 838

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 89.2% were White; 2.3% were Black or African American; 11.9% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1.5% were Asian; 1.5% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5.2% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 4.5% of the people in Otsego County, New York were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 88.1% of the people in Otsego County, New York were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 23,189 households in Otsego County, New York. The average household size was 2.34 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.9% of the households in Otsego County, New York while cohabiting couple households made up 8.3% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 24% of all households, while 19.8% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.1% of households were male householders living alone, and 16.5% were female householders living alone, for a total of 31.6% of all households.

In Otsego County, New York, 22.7% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 38.7% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 47.9
Cohabiting Couples 8.3
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
19.8
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
24

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 45.1% of males and 43.2% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 42.6 38.1
Now married, except separated 45.1 43.2
Separated 1.1 1.4
Widowed 2.8 8.4
Divorced 8.4 8.9

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Otsego County, New York, 530 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 36.8% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 95.9% of the people living in Otsego County, New York were U.S. natives. 78.2% of the Otsego County, New York population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 4.1% of Otsego County, New York residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 56.2% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 58 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Otsego County, New York come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Otsego County, New York.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 32.3
Asia 27.3
Europe 34.3
Africa 3.1
Northern America 2.7
Oceania 0.3

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024, 6.6 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.1% of people at least five years old; 1.8% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.1
Other Indo-European languages 3.4
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.9
Other languages 0.2

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 88.7 % of the people at least one year old living in Otsego County, New York were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 88.7
Different house, same county 4.2
Different county, same state 5.2
Different state 1.7
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 92.9 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 34.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 7.1% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Otsego County, New York was 15,028 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 457 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 6,850. College or graduate school enrollment was 7,721.

Educational Attainment of People in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 7.1
High school diploma or equivalency 31.2
Some college, no degree 16.1
Associate's degree 11.2
Bachelor's degree 18.9
Graduate or professional degree 15.5

Disability

In Otsego County, New York, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 13.7 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5% of people under 18 years old, to 11.4% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 26.7% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Otsego County, New York, 51.5 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 44.8% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 71.5% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 20.9% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.5 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 19,253 71.5
Federal, state, or local government workers 5,627 20.9
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 2,011 7.5

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Otsego County, New York worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 3.5
Construction 6.8
Manufacturing 7
Wholesale trade 1.4
Retail trade 11.8
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 3.2
Information 1.4
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 6.1
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 4.8
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 34.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 11.1
Other Services, except public administration 4.1
Public administration 4.5

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 10,223 38
Service occupations 5,785 21.5
Sales and office occupations 5,241 19.5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 2,646 9.8
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 3,043 11.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 70.6% of Otsego County, New York workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.7% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 22.9 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 70.6
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.7
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1
Walked 7.3
Other means 0.8
Worked from home 11.7

In 2020-2024, Otsego County, New York had a total of 30,057 housing units. Of these housing units, 68.2% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 20.7% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 10.9% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 68.2
Apartments in multi-unit structures 20.7
Mobile homes 10.9
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.2

5% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 40.8% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Otsego County, New York was 6.1 rooms, and of these housing units 61.6% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Otsego County, New York had 23,189 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 6,868 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 73.9% while renters occupied 26.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.51 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.88.

4.6% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 15.8% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 7.3% and another 17% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Otsego County, New York:

House Heating Fuel Used in Otsego County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 39.4
Electricity 15.2
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 31.3
All other fuels 13.9
No fuel used 0.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Otsego County, New York was $179,100.

Of the owner-occupied households, 49.4 % had a mortgage. 50.6% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,568 and for owners without a mortgage it was $571.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Otsego County, New York was $987. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.